Highlights from the Columbus Crew's 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire on August 2, 2014

Major League Soccer

The Columbus Crew could not win the third consecutive game of their midseason resurgence, but they did rally from a halftime deficit on the way to earning a 1-1 draw on the road to Chicago. The single point was their first positive result of any kind in the Windy City since 2009.

Mike Magee opened the scoring for Chicago late in the first half. Tyson Wahl was flagged for handling the ball in the 37th minute, unable to pull his arm out of the way in time when defending a cross. Magee duly dispatched the spot kick to Steve Clark's left.

Columbus, which was only sporadically dangerous in the first half, adjusted well after falling behind. Although they nearly found an equalizer a minute before the break, it took Federico Higuainjust nine seconds in the second half to draw level. Ethan Finlay received a long bouncing ball and nodded it into the area, where Higuain touched sideways and fired home.

The Crew had two additional chances to score denied by superb goalkeeping from Sean Johnson. Ben Speas saw his goalbound effort from the top of the area snagged in the 53rd minute, capping buildup from Ethan Finlay and a dummy from Federico Higuain. Ethan Finlay was then himself robbed in the 61st minute, his header at the far post improbably stopped by a desparate lunge from Johnson.

A set of substitutions after the Finlay chance changed the dynamics of the game, to the benefit of the home team. The Fire inserted recent signing Razvan Cocis in place of Alex, whose left flank had been dismantled consistently by the pressure of Michael Parkhurst and Ethan Finlay. Cocis proved more capable than Alex at defensive pressure, and the Crew's offense sputtered.

For the visitors, a pair of offensive gambles did not have the desired effect. Aaron Schoenfeld and Justin Meram entered the game in lieu of Adam Bedell and Ben Speas respectively. While both Schoenfeld and Meram have shown well in recent games, they were unable on this night to produce any late-game heroics. In fact, it was the Fire who had two chances in stoppage time, but Cocis was unable to put a clean shot on frame in either instance.

What it means

The Crew's draw stretches their unbeaten run to three games, matching their season long mark. They have sole possession of fifth place, the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. More encouragingly the teams immediately above and below them no longer have significant games in hand, setting up a stretch run with a level starting line.

Up next

Columbus now returns home for a three-game home stand. Two of the three games come against Eastern Conference opposition, starting with Toronto this weekend and finished by Houston - with the annual visit from Los Angeles sandwiched in between.

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Matt Bernhardt has followed the Columbus Crew since late 1995, and has covered the team for a variety of electronic and print publications for over 10 years - including the official team website, the unfortunately defunct Matchnight Network, and Hunt Park Insider. He also contributed to the formation of the North End, the precursor to the Nordecke. When he is not watching the Crew (or other soccer games), he can be reached at bernhardtsoccer@yahoo.com.